He lost his job, his boyfriend, and his church after one horrifying accident a few months ago. Now it's Christmas Eve, and he's reminded of each of those loses in a heart-breaking confrontation with his abusive father. As Dain is driving aimlessly, he meets Jake, the local sheriff. Despite the circumstances of their meeting, Jake is very interested in Dain, but can Dain let go of the past and learn to believe in love again?

    His job policing the streets of Carlisle, PA, only adds to the ugliness, and lately, drug overdoses have been on the rise. One afternoon, Red is dispatched to the local Y for a drowning accident involving a child. Arriving on site, he finds the boy rescued by lifeguard Terry Baumgartner. Of course, Red isn’t surprised when gorgeous Terry won’t give him and his ugly mug the time of day.Overhearing one of the officer’s comment about him being shallow opens Terry’s eyes. Maybe he isn’t as kindhearted as he always thought. His friend Julie suggests he help those less fortunate by delivering food to the elderly. On his route he meets outspoken Margie, a woman who says what’s on her mind. Turns out, she’s Officer Red’s aunt.Red and Terry’s worlds collide as Red tries to track the source of the drugs and protect Terry from an ex-boyfriend who won’t take no for an answer. Together they might discover a chance for more than they expected—if they can see beyond what’s on the surface.

    Attempting to escape the painful memories and relentless guilt, the twins journey to Cadbury, Oklahoma in hopes that the family they barely know can help keep them together. Luke Daniels struggles every day with his painful past, just trying to piece his life back together again. Running his diner gives him an escape from the haunting memories, but ghosts never stay buried for long and old wounds leave scars that make it hard to forget. When a random encounter brings Aeron and Luke together, they must learn to overcome their pasts or be lost in them forever.

    When he gets a job overseas, Abram feels that he has to follow his lover, but he still harbors doubts of his own worthiness. Those doubts come to a head during the long flight to begin their new lives. How far is Abram willing to go to keep Beau to himself? Sometimes in matters of the heart, you just have to dive in and sink or swim.Original Prompt:Dear Author,I will leave the story up to you. What ever gets your creative juices going is fine with me. These men just need a story.Photo Description: A close-up photo of the faces of two dark-haired, scruffy, shirtless young men in a field of red wildflowers. They are lying down in opposite directions. One's head rests on the other's chest, the other's head pillowed on a bent arm to look at the viewer.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Download the story, read it here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 3 or Don't Read in the Closet: GayRomLit Retreat 2011 Special Edition.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, established couples, travel, new beginnings, mile-high, first-person, HEAWord Count: 13,815

    It's Christmas at Rob and Chris's house; the tinsel has been hung, the sugar cookies are baking, carols are blaring out of the stereo and, despite Rob's best efforts, there is a definite feel of Christmas cheer in the air.Rob doesn't know it yet, but Chris has one or two holiday surprises hidden up his heavily tattooed sleeves...

    P. Barnaby – END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (First Love )*Sarah Black – SUCKER-PUNCH (Athlete/Hurt-Comfort )Scarlet Blackwell – BREAKING WAVES (Surfing/Angst )Penny Brandon – FINDING JACK (Cowboys/Mild BDSM )Lee Brazil – BE A BAD BOY (First-Time/Family Drama )Cardeno C. – WOMAN WITH A DILDO (Friends to Lovers )L.C. Chase – OPEN TACKLE (Friends to Lovers )*Kim Dare – MASOCHISM 101 (BDSM/Friends to Lovers )S.J. Frost – A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY (Musicians/Rivals to Lovers )Jeanette Grey – HEART AND SOUL (Friends to Lovers )Jambrea Jo Jones – WILD BLUE YONDER (Military )*Pender Mackie by DOG DAYS OF SUMMER (Blue Collar/First Date )JL Merrow – BEAR NAKED (First-time/Bears )M.J. O'Shea – BRIDGES (First Love )*Neil S. Plakcy – PHOTO BOOTH (Cowboys/FBI )Dustin Adrian Rhodes – STORM OF PASSION (Friends to Lovers )Jaime Samms – MOURNING (Hurt/Comfort )*Justin South – REFLECTIONS (First Love/Hurt-Comfort )Zach Sweets – LUSCIOUS LOVE (Coming out/Food Kinky )Piper Vaughn – WANTING (First Love )*Silvia Violet – TIME TO TELL (Military/Friends to Lover)Deanna Wadsworth – UNSCHEDULED MAINTENANCE (Office Sex )Stuart Wakefield – THE ELEMENTS OF LOVE (Sci-Fi/Ménage )Alex Whitehall – HOLD ME TIGHT (Hurt-Comfort/BDSM Light )Lisa Worrall – JUST ONE KISS (Gay-for-You/Cops )Connor Wright – GONE TO PIECES (Sci-Fi/Mild BDSM )

    He’s handsome, he’s responsible, he’s confident, he’s aloof… no one would ever know that he’s completely head over heels for the little troublemaker that he has to constantly reprimand. High school senior Asher Tate is only a few years younger than the college athlete, but it might as well be a decade. He is the complete opposite of Lance. He is a reckless, carefree daredevil who couldn’t stay out of trouble if his life depended on it. What Lance doesn’t know though, is that half of Asher’s stunts are just to get his attention, for Asher has had a crush on Lance ever since they were kids together. One day at the pool, Asher disobeys Lance and nearly gets hurt. The lifeguard decides he has had it with Asher’s flagrant disobedience of The Pool Rules and decides it's time to teach his crush a lesson that he won’t soon forget! How does he plan to do that? Well, you’ll just have to read on to find out! This fluffy, summery treat will satisfy yaoi fans of all kinds! Featuring internal artwork by premier Yaoi artist, Elle Rei! ~6,500 words

    So it’s an…epilogue prologue? It takes place almost sixteen months after the last chapter of Heated Rivalry, and about three weeks before the epilogue."-Rachel Reid

    Still… even the best of Doms aren’t infallible, and this one almost lost his beautiful boy. He straightened his head out quickly enough, but by then his boy wasn’t quite so forgiving. If his stubborn sub is so damn resistant to reason, drastic measures are called for… right? What choice does a desperate Dom have but to resort to a tiny bit of kidnapping, and a wee touch of restraint and, well… I’ll let the author decide what else it’ll take to get them to their HEA.Photo Description: Two men spoon together on a white mattress with blue swirls. One man (the Dom) wears nothing but black work boots as he shapes the other man. The Dom is caught kissing at the sub’s neck whilst the sub holds onto the Dom’s hand. The Dom looks fully sated; the sub, with eyes closed, shackles around his ankles, and a soft smile, looks fully claimed. Both look completely at ease. Tattoos circle the sub’s navel.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    At the lowest point in his life, he discovers that true passion and loyalty have been staring him in the face all along. There is one problem he must surmount first, Dax is straight and carries a lot of baggage. What neither of them realize is that sometimes passion can also bring healing. That is if one is brave enough to take the first step. In a perfect passion, one must be willing to take the risk.

    All he wants is for Adam to keep his mouth shut about Ross' real life, which contradicts his image as a straight playwright. Adam knows that Ross has to face his true self, though, and he's ready to do whatever it takes to make Ross see the truth. Will all of Adam's effort backfire, or will Ross take what he needs?

    Creepily so. He makes art out of road kill, writes love letters to people he’s never met, and stares incessantly at pretty men without them ever noticing. He spotted the guy on the right walking his dog through fields, and made him his newest object of affection. Only problem was, when he started staring at this guy, he stared back.Photo Description: The backs of two teenage boys holding hands, one slightly leaning in toward the other. They’re walking through a field, illuminated by the sunlight in front of them. Around them are tall grasses and yellow stalks of wheat.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

    But when it comes to romance, there is none – at least not anymore. Ever since producer, Phil Watts, abruptly left for a high-paying job in Toronto, Terry’s been determined to move on with his life. After all, they’d barely begun their relationship when everything got derailed. Just because he’s still in love with Phil after three years, shouldn’t it be time for him to finally let go? Phil has learned the hard way that work and career is one thing, having someone by your side to love and cherish is another. The producing gig in Toronto left him cold and lonely, but a fateful meeting one night at a bar was a game-changer. Now that’s he’s back in town, Phil is ready to take the knowledge he gained while being trained as a lifestyle Master, and is determined to claim his boy. Something about Phil seems different when Terry reluctantly gives into his pleas for them to meet. Terry isn’t sure whether to believe Phil’s promises that this time Terry’s heart will be safe, but he can’t deny the intensity of the chemistry they still share. When Phil reveals all, Terry is shocked, yet curious. As they discuss whether or not Terry is willing to try a relationship as a sub to Phil’s Dom, one thing in particular piques Terry’s curiosity. Phil mentions role play, and there’s a fantasy Terry has always had, but been way too embarrassed to ever confess. Will Phil agree to satisfy Terry’s darkest fantasy? Role Play is Book 1 in the Play Series, however, there is an HEA with no cliffhanger. Phil and Terry’s exploration into their new life together will continue in Book 2, out in the summer of 2016. Warning: This story is intended for a mature audience and contains explicit content between consenting adults. There is also rough, fantasy role play that might be upsetting to some readers. This novella is approximately 31,200 words and 85 pages with no additional content.

    But instead of getting naked, Detective Gorgeous pulls out his cuffs — turns out, the badge and uniform aren’t just props, this cop is the real deal. Brad is a free 10k word short story in the Made Marian series by best-selling author Lucy Lennox. It can be found here: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/LrvnV

    He’s in love with his boss, Logan Remora. Logan is everything Aarons ever wanted in a man, except he’s straight…and married.College student, Aaron Samuels is in love with his boss, Logan Remora. After four long years of working under his boss in every conceivable position except the one he wants, bent over the desk with his pants around his ankles, Aaron is ready to give up and move on to greener pastures.A promising job offer right after graduation seems like fate’s way of kicking Aaron in the ass. He turns in his notice at work with a heavy heart, though Aaron knows he has made the right decision. After all, he couldn’t spend the rest of his life mooning over Logan.A torrid, late night tryst with a man Aaron believes to be Logan’s twin propels him into an emotional tailspin of guilt and confusion. Tough choices loom on the horizon, but Aaron may find that things aren’t always as they seem.